"I'm an optimist, and I really believe that every problem has a solution to it," Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig said Thursday.

Sponsored Links

Speaking Thursday to the Associated Press Sports Editors, Selig provided no timetable for deciding the Bay Area dispute between the A's, who would like to build a ballpark in San Jose, and the Giants, who won't give up their territorial rights there.

"I'm always hopeful when there are debates amongst clubs, I try to lead teams in a direction of solving their problems themselves," Selig said. "However, this group has an interesting comment whenever they get in trouble: 'That's why you're here, Commissioner.' That's what they tell me. I don't know that that's a particularly good answer. … We've had a lot of meetings, spent an enormous amount of time. I've just met with both clubs again, and we'll continue along this process."

Asked whether there could be a solution that wouldn't anger one of the Bay Area teams, Selig responded: "Time will tell. I'm always hopeful. I'm an optimist, and I really believe that every problem has a solution to it. The question is just finding the right one, and so far I've been lucky on that score. And so I hope my string of luck will continue."

USA TODAY Sports on Twitter!

To get the latest sports news from USA TODAY, including game results, columns and features, follow us on Twitter at @USATODAYSports.

Oakland owner Lew Wolff responded in an e-mail to The Associated Press: "Bud is doing his best to be fair to us and the Giants."

Selig was clear, however, that he wants the A's to move from the Coliseum, their home since 1968 and the last stadium shared by baseball and the NFL.

"The one given everybody believes is that Oakland needs a new stadium," Selig said. "The last time I was there, I probably shouldn't say this, but I'll say it anyway, it reminded me of County Stadium and Shea Stadium, and that's not a compliment, in either case. … You can't ask people to compete if they have a stadium that doesn't produce any kind of revenue to give them a chance to compete. So that's a given."

Twenty-three teams have opened ballparks since 1989, all but Boston (which celebrates the 100th anniversary of Fenway Park on Friday), the Chicago Cubs, the Los Angeles Angels and Dodgers, Kansas City, Oakland and Tampa Bay. The ballparks of the Angels and Royals have undergone major renovations.

The Rays started play in Tropicana Field in 1998, eight years after it opened. Owner Stuart Sternberg announced plans in 2007 for a new ballpark with a retractable fabric roof, then abandoned the project over the next two years.

"They need a new ballpark, there's no question," Selig said. "I talked a lot to Stu Sternberg, and he's talking to people. He and I have had many conversations, and we'll just monitor the situation. He's doing what he should do. He's there, he's talking to all parties trying to see what he can do."

"I thought the suspension and the way he was treated was penalty enough," Selig said.

Selig said baseball was making progress in negotiations with the incoming owners of the Los Angeles Dodgers for more information on the group's financing and ownership of the parking lots and land surrounding Dodger Stadium. Current owner Frank McCourt will keep an interest in the land.

"I know how people feel there, so you bet, I'm concerned with all ramifications, including the parking," Selig said.

As Selig spoke, new adviser Tony La Russa listened. La Russa, who retired as manager of the World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals after last season, was a member of Selig's study committee and said he originally opposed the new one-game, wild-card playoff but changed his mind.

"We were looking for a way to value the regular-season champion and make the wild-card team a little more or a lot more disadvantaged," he said.

Selig also said:

• Cubs owner Tom Ricketts has talked to him about talks with Chicago to renovate Wrigley Field. "Some people call them cathedrals," Selig said of Wrigley and Fenway. "The sport is better off for keeping them and having them. But, how long? You know, nothing lasts forever."

• He will soon announce the sites of the 2013 and 2014 All-Star games. MLB has long ago decided it wanted the 2013 game at the Mets' Citi Field and 2014 at Minnesota's Target Field

• Revenue will exceed $7 billion this year.

• Baseball has not started checking into whether there are issues with the prescription painkiller Toradol.

• Attendance is up about 4% this season.

• He wouldn't comment on Roger Clemens' perjury trial. "That is something Roger is going to have to face now. … There's nothing I can say."

• Of MLB's efforts to increase the percentage of African-American players: "Progress like that doesn't come overnight."

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

For more information about reprints & permissions, visit our FAQ's. To report corrections and clarifications, contact Standards Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to letters@usatoday.com. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. To view our corrections, go to corrections.usatoday.com.

Posted | Updated

USA TODAY is now using Facebook Comments on our stories and blog posts to provide an enhanced user experience. To post a comment, log into Facebook and then "Add" your comment. To report spam or abuse, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box. To find out more, read the FAQ and Conversation Guidelines.